OTTAWA, Ontario – Carli Lloyd posed for her Player of the Match photos, beamed into the bright lights and then was asked the difference between Friday night's game and all the others so far.
"Freedom," she said.
Head coach Jill Ellis met with Lloyd on Thursday at the team hotel and informed the midfielder that Morgan Brian would be added to the lineup as a defensive midfielder and Lloyd would be allowed to roam. Lloyd grinned recalling the moment, and she played like a lion unleashed.
After weeks of plodding, the United States women's national team finally plowed at the Women's World Cup, mesmerizing China with a bevy of offense that rose to the extraordinary standard its defense has raised. The
Friday at Lansdowne Stadium behind Brian's versatility and Lloyd's 51st-minute goal and now sit two victories away from their first world title since 1999.
The U.S. did it with a collection of backups, too, as Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday sat out and Abby Wambach subbed in the 85th minute. It was Amy Rodriguez setting the tone with an early chance, Kelley O'Hara threatening constantly and Brian playing a position she had never practiced before joining the national team. "Did I look comfortable out there?" she asked jokingly after the match.
She sure did, and now the U.S. has an attacking midfielder excelling at defensive midfield in Brian, and another attacking midfielder excelling at defense in Julie Johnston. Those two players were the best supporting actors behind Lloyd's lead. It is a testament to the stunning depth of the U.S. that the team played its best overall match without three of its best players.
And it's a testament to that defense that Hope Solo made history, becoming the winningest goalkeeper in U.S. women's history, without having to make any difficult saves. Solo has still allowed only a single goal in this tournament as the Americans extended their shutout streak to 423 minutes.
The Americans created a barrage of chances throughout the first 45 minutes – a noted departure from their previous World Cup matches here. Credit goes to Ellis, who had a lineup ready to go after China from the first minute.
"Everybody came out with high intensity and super aggressive," Tobin Heath said. "We wanted to run at players."
The first half ended scoreless, but it didn't feel scoreless. The U.S. had 11 shots to China's four – with zero on net. Before the team took the field after halftime, Wambach told her teammates, "The first 10 minutes, we get a [expletive] goal!" Alex Morgan grinned and thought to herself, "Typical Abby."
Wambach proved to be a seer, as Johnson promptly fired a lovely service from near midfield into the box, where Lloyd whipped her forehead into the ball and watched it hit the back of the net. Off she went to the corner, karate-kicking the flagstick to add an emphatic flourish to an emphatic showing.
It was Lloyd who basically called her own shot this week, subtly daring Ellis to give her the reins with Rapinoe and Holiday out.
"In order for us to win this thing," she said, "in order to show the world what we've got, we've got to take some risks at some point. For me, I love to attack. I had a decent shot last game. I need more of that. I need to get the ball, run at players, create stuff. I need to find a way to impact the game, no matter how it's going."
She did that with Ellis' help, as the game plan was perfect for the web-like defensive strategy of the China side. "I really liked getting a midfielder higher on the field," Morgan said. That's significant considering her partner in crime, Wambach, did not start and did not join the game as a substitute until the 86th minute. Morgan said Friday's game was probably the U.S.'s best overall performance of the tournament.
Surely, there has been frustration about the offense within the U.S. camp, but against China the sum was finally greater than all of the parts. Asked if she expects the same freedom in the semis and possible final, Lloyd smiled again and said, "I would hope so."
Now comes the hardest test by far: Germany, which survived a marathon of a match with France on Friday to
and will await the Americans in Montreal next Tuesday. The semifinal may very well be the best matchup of the entire tournament, with the Germans featuring the size and speed to match the U.S. step for step.
The question now is how will Ellis rearrange the pieces that fit so well together in Ottawa. Because a group that couldn't put it all together is suddenly looking like a formidable machine.
And Lloyd has already vowed: "We're going to be flying next game."
